Zero has a division that sells its power components to other companies,
so it’s possible that you might see a Zero-powered Ducati in the future.

Power isn’t a problem; Zero claims an output of over

54 horsepower. The torque rating is 68 foot-pounds.

tric motorcycles as an eventual replacement for the machines they love.

I don’t know if that’s true. For now,I only see products like the Zero S asa way to save money—in the future,if not now. The price for the Zero SZF11.4 is $15,995. The ZF8.5 has asmaller battery and sells for $2000 less,but it’s still far more expensive than agasoline-powered motorcycle of similarnumbers, it would take 640 trips to theoffice before the Zero would pay off. Iunderstand the price gap; Zero is actu-ally inventing something new, whereasKawasaki is regurgitating technologyfrom the ’70s with tooling from the ’80s.

For now, though, you have to want to
be a part of the electric movement in
order for it to make sense. The Zero S
is simply a preview of what the future
can be. ■

www.zeromotorcycles.com

the term “sport” doesn’t seem appropriate. It’s not sporty at all. There’s very little cornering clearance, the suspension
is primitive, and it’s not that much fun
on a twisty road. It’s called Sport mode
because it wouldn’t sound as sexy to
have a “Stranded” setting, which is
what would happen if I allowed myself
to use it.

I’m okay with that. I’m not chasing modern superbikes on Mulholland
Drive, and the Eco setting is plenty fast
for Southern California freeway traffic
during the week. For those brief gaps
where traffic is actually going faster than
71mph, it’s easy to flip the switch—just
don’t get used to it. If I were really into
it, I would reprogram the Zero’s engine
controller to allow a higher top speed
but keep the acceleration under control.
You can do that with an iPhone app
that links your phone with the Zero via
Bluetooth.

INSIDE THE ZERO

The technology is fairly impressive.
The Zero uses a lithium-cobalt-man-ganese battery, which is similar to that
in a Tesla Roadster electric car, and
somewhat rare in other applications.
The trickiest part in designing a high-drain battery like this is managing heat
buildup, both while discharging and
charging. Zero has accomplished this
well, but it makes the battery the most
expensive single component on the
machine. At one time, the company had
the notion that the battery should be
removable so you could station spares
along your route like fresh horses. This
idea didn’t last long, and now the battery is fixed within the chassis. The
motor itself is nothing unusual, but it’s
capable of an output of 68 foot-pounds.
Most people think of electric motors as
being on or off with an instant surge of
torque. With the Zero, the throttle operates pretty much like a normal motorcycle throttle with an easily controlled
output—the more you twist, the more
power you get. As for the other controls,
there aren’t any. There’s no clutch and
no shifter. You get used to it.

About the only aspect of riding the
Zero that I haven’t become accustomed
to is e-hate. For some reason, most of
the motorcycle community resists and
resents the idea of electric bikes. I know
there are limitations. When you run out
of juice, it’s not like you can bring back
a Clorox bottle of electrons. But that’s
not the real reason for the resentment.
There’s a suspicion that the coming of
electric motorcycles is a prelude to a
massive conspiracy to take away our
gasoline motors. Many people see elec-